This exhibition is open by appointment
Prints affixed to the inside of a book’s front cover to indicate its owner—internationally known as EX-LIBRIS—are on display at the Hambis Printmaking Museum in Platanisteia, Limassol.
The exhibition opens with a brief historical overview (16th–21st century), beginning with handwritten ex-libris and tracing their evolution, particularly in state and municipal libraries: from a simple stamp bearing the name of the library, institution, or association, to the development of small printed bookplates pasted onto the endpaper or the first blank page before the title page. These include coats of arms (the emblem of an aristocratic family), names accompanied by mottos and/or symbolic imagery.
Ex-libris created using the techniques of etching, woodcut, zincography and linocut are exhibited. Also on display are “sex-Libris” and small-format occasional prints, such as original engraved Christmas and New Year greeting cards, as well as wedding invitations.
The exhibition is curated by Hélène Reeb. Works by the following artists are presented:
Wim Aerts, Jean-Claude Renaud, Jean Morisot, Yiannis Kyriakides, Jocelyn Mercier, Charles Favet, Albert Haefeli, Raymond Simonin, Jean-Paul Marchal, Takis Tsentemaïdis, Panagiotis Passantas, Marina Mironova, Vasso Psaraki, Pembe Gaziler, Stelios Stylianou, Kosmas Oikonomou, Spyros Gousis, Anna Gajova, Janet Neilson, Kostas Oikonomou, Johanna Almeida, Andreas Karabelas, Olga Ovasapova, Robert Cami, Dimitra Siaterli, Vasilis Smoleski, Mohammad Kibria, Rinos Stephani, Mariam Soukhanova-Foukara, Hambis, Konstantinos Terlikkas + Elena Agiomamiti, François Georgin & J. P. Marchal.
The works in the exhibition come from museum acquisitions and donations.
The Museum would like to thank the donors: D. & H. Hombourger, H. Reeb, N. Mastropavlos, J. P. Marchal, St. Zafeiriou, P. Passantas, H. Tsangaris, V. Psaraki, P. Gaziler, St. Stylianou, Sp. Gousis, M. Orfanos, Pattichio Municipal Museum – Historical Archive of Limassol, V. Smoleski, K. Terlikkas & E. Agiomamiti.
The exhibition will remain until December.
During the same period, the Museum will also host the exhibition:
Lithography and Its Evolution, featuring works from the 19th century to the present day.
